Philadelphia Union: Hackworth confirms potential Adu trade

CHESTER — Just as one transfer saga appears to be reaching its conclusion, the Philadelphia Union has another rearing its ugly head.

Manager John Hackworth Wednesday confirmed reports that the club is near a deal for wantaway forward Freddy Adu, but the process of accommodating the trade request of defender Bakary Soumare is in its early stages.

Talks are at an advanced stage with Brazilian club Bahia to offload Adu, who is still under contract with the Union but has not played this season after being informed by Hackworth that he was no longer in the club’s plans. Reports out of Brazil surfaced late last week linking the clubs, and Hackworth also confirmed that the makeweight in the deal is in fact Kleberson, the former Manchester United player who was a member of Brazil’s 2002 and 2010 World Cup squads.

“The situation is that we do have a potential deal on the table for Freddy,” Hackworth said. “That deal is not done right now. There are still some hurdles that have to be stepped over in order for that to be done. The reality is that we think that it’s a good situation for both Freddy and for the Union, and it could potentially bring us a very high profile player from Brazil.”

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Hackworth stressed repeatedly that the deal is anything but done, but the club is describing the timeline for its possible completion in terms of days rather than weeks, with Hackworth hopeful of resolution perhaps by the end of the week.

It’s been an arduous process with Adu, but not for lack of interest worldwide. Hackworth admitted that the club received offers on five continents for the services of the 23-year-old forward. The nature of his contract — including two years’ worth of guaranteed money and designated-player status in MLS — has made a deal difficult to come by that satisfies the wants of both club and player.

But in Bahia, one of the lesser known clubs in Brazil’s top division, the Brasileiro, they seem to have a viable suitor. The attack-minded style of play and emphasis on beautiful football gives Adu a chance to express himself tactically away from the blinding spotlight that has so long impeded his progress. For the Union, the imperative of part ways with Adu brought into the conversation a club and a player that they have previously eyed. Hackworth fondly recalled Kleberson’s performance in the 2002 World Cup and that the club had inquired previously as to the World Cup winner’s availability.

An impact midfielder was one of the few things missing on Hackworth’s offseason shopping list, so a chance to procure the 33-year-old’s services certainly satisfied the need for the Union to come out of this affair with something.

That aligning of the stars has a complicated chapter in the club’s history possibly nearing its denouement. Another, though, is just starting.

Backup central defender Soumare revealed in an interview with the web site Philly Soccer Page Monday that he had demanded a trade from the team after not seeing a minute of action in the first games.

The 27-year-old was acquired last June after a knee injury ended his stint in the German second division. He made one appearance last August before being essentially shut down for the season, and while he entered the preseason as nominally one of the starters, he has fallen down the pecking order behind Amobi Okugo and Jeff Parke.

Part of the lack of playing time of late, though, came via Soumare’s request, which he handed in after the season-opener against Sporting Kansas City. Hackworth acknowledged that that revelation altered his selection plans for the following two games.

“It’s definitely not a role I’m used to, and it’s not a situation I want to be in,” Soumare told Philly Soccer Page from Bamako, Mali, where he is playing for his country in World Cup qualification. “I’ve requested to go elsewhere. We’re working on it, and we’ll see.”

In stark contrast to the club’s view on Adu, Hackworth doesn’t sound like someone who has closed the door on Soumare returning to the club, insisting that the process of resolving the differences are at a very early juncture.

“Baky is an important part of our team right now,” Hackworth said. “Coming into preseason, it was my thought that he would be a starting center back for us. I know that in reading some of the comments that he made in the press, maybe he didn’t feel that way. Whoever stepped into preseason had an opportunity to win a starting job. There’s certain guys who for sure maybe were starting guys on our depth chart, and Baky was one of those guys. And I still think he is going to be really important for us if he stays here because there are no guarantees.”

Hackworth insists that the reason for Soumare’s fall from the lineup has little to do with him, rather focusing on the development of Okugo into a top defender that has necessitated that he be on the field at all times.

“We put (Okugo) at center back, he was very good for us there last year,” Hackworth said. “He has continued that, and I think our recent results can lend some evidence to the fact that that’s still continuing. And when you have players that are playing that well, you have some tough decisions. I talked about tough decisions all through preseason, and there’s no question that either Baky or Amobi at center back was going to be one of the toughest one.”

The Union likely will have no shortage of potential takers for Soumare in MLS, with veteran center backs a valuable commodity. A team like Chicago, which has some injuries in defense after a disastrous start to the season, may be willing to bring back Soumare to the city where he still maintains a home.

But if the Adu situation is any indication, the final answer to that quandary may be a while away.